When you’re trying to load a new file into an ACL table, you’ll sometimes get this error:: “Application error. ACL Desktop cannot complete this function…contact ACL Technical Support…” (see below).

Here’s the situations in which I’ve encountered this error, and how I’ve fixed it (most common and easiest to fix situations are first).

The file I’m trying to load into a new ACL table is open. Solution: Close the file, and load it again. If that doesn’t work, close ACL entirely, and start over.

The file is in CSV format, and it has commas in the middle of the fields that confuse ACL. Solution: Save the file in XLS or XLSX* format, and reload into ACL.

Something is wrong with the file, but I can’t tell what it is and fix it. Solution: Obtain a fresh copy of the file, and reload into ACL. Sometimes the file gets corrupted during exporting or downloading.

The good news is that I’ve always been able to solve the problem without calling technical support.

If you’ve received this error in other situations or have any other ideas, please leave me a comment. I’d also like to hear from anyone who contacted technical support about this error—what the problem was and how it was resolved.